State to sell property near Palo Duro Canyon

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department announced Wednesday it’s ready to sell part of Fortress Cliffs Ranch, which overlooks Palo Duro Canyon State Park.

The agency would keep roughly 850 acres of the 2,912-acre ranch it purchased in 2008 for $5.22 million. The purchase and subsequent sale are structured to keep development away from the rim of the canyon and out of view.

“The agency is staying true to its original stated intent and plan to protect the cliffs and the park’s view shed, and make the best use of our limited funds by selling the ranch house and uplands at some future date,” said Carter Smith, the department’s executive director. “A perpetual conservation easement will ensure the land’s important wildlife conservation values are permanently protected.”

Terms of the pending sale are confidential until completion of the transaction, said department spokesman Rob McCorkle. Proceeds from the sale will be used to purchase park property elsewhere in the state.

The department bought the land, which includes about seven miles of canyon rim with a sweeping view of the park and beyond, with the help of the Trust for Public Lands, a nonprofit that facilitates such deals. Financing included $1.5 million from the Texas Legislature, $1.86 million in federal funding and about $2 million from an anonymous donation, according to information from Tom Harvey, the department’s director of news and information.

The purchase agreement, which must get final approval from the Texas Parks & Wildlife Commission, includes a conservation easement to be held forever by the department to prevent any development near the rim and limits subdividing the property into only two tracts. The property includes about 1,000 acres of land with grass and brush, a side canyon and a quarter mile of canyon rim.

The department will integrate the rest of the acreage into Palo Duro Canyon State Park management plan.

“A plan for public use has not been developed yet, but it is anticipated that the Fortress Cliffs property we retain will allow park visitors to be able someday to access the rim via a hiking trail to enjoy the spectacular views of the canyon below,” Smith said.

The property, formerly Tub Springs Ranch, is about 15 miles southeast of Amarillo in Randall and Armstrong counties.